If you're like me, you grew up watching the Miss USA pageant on TV just because it seemed like an important thing to do. In recent years, it seems to have become less and less important to Americans, and TV ratings (and Mr. Donald Trump's profit) have fallen accordingly. Well, there's a new reason to pay attention to the pageant scene. Animal Agriculture Alliance posted a great video yesterday featuring Miss America Teresa Scanlan.
Please share her message with your other online friends.
It should be noted that Scanlan is Miss America, not Miss USA. The Miss America pageant is a long-standing competition with scholarships as the award to the big winners. Miss America began in 1921, and Miss USA split from it in 1950 when Miss America didn't want to pose in a swimsuit. Donald Trump owns the Miss USA competition, while the Miss America Organization is truly an association of the state and local pageants. They do both have swimsuit and evening gown competitions, but they have been shrinking in importance in the Miss America contest. That's enough for Miss USA/America trivial knowledge. But here's the fun part; this is the second agricultural supporter in three years for the Miss America contest. The last one, Katie Stam, Miss America 2009, actually grew up on a dairy farm in Indiana. Indiana's ADA used Katie's experience and knowledge to help tell dairy's story locally and nationally.
Miss America 2011 is from far western Nebraska on the other hand. We couldn't find anything on her having a farm background, but she obviously grew up in a rural area. Nevertheless, we hope the partnership of tiaras and milk mustaches (or any agricultural symbol) continues for years to come. We wonder if the rural roots are shining through in today's age of materialism and short attention spans? We hope this natural partnership continues for years to come. Who better to talk to young women about milk and agriculture? Here's one video we found on YouTube with Katie Stam from the Indiana ADA:
